BJP welcomes Kalmadi charge-sheet

New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) The BJP Monday welcomed the filing of charge-sheet against former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi but sought to know if action would also be taken against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for irregularities during the 2010 games.

"While the BJP welcomes the belated charge-sheeting of Suresh Kalmadi," it would like to know about the other recommendations of the Shunglu Committee, which was constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to examine the entire CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report pertaining to the Commonwealth Games, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

"The Shunglu Committee has given very stringent comments against the collusion and inaction of the Sheila Dikshit government. It has used an expression, 'there was a method in the madness'," he said.

Prasad said: "Manmohan Singh had assured the house that he would take appropriate follow up action in the light of the conclusion and recommendations of the Shunglu Committee."

"The BJP would like to know whether the prime minister will allow the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) to fairly and honestly investigate the role of the entire Sheila Dikshit government as far as massive irregularities relating to the preparations are concerned," he said.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party would like this to be done otherwise it would be evident that the CBI is being abused to bail out the government," he added.

The Shunglu Committee had in 2011 blamed Delhi Lt. Governor Tejinder Khanna and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for procedural violations and inadequacies in executing projects related to the Commonwealth Games.

A Delhi court Monday framed charges against Suresh Kalmadi and nine others for forgery, cheating and conspiracy in a corruption case related to the 2010 Delhi Games.

The court order came in a case against Kalmadi and his associates, including former Organising Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot, in the case related to financial irregularities in awarding a Rs.141 crore contract for time, scoring and records system for the Games.

The court had earlier passed the order for framing the charges for illegally awarding the Rs.141 crore contract to Swiss firm Swiss Timing Omega that caused a loss of over Rs.90 crore to the exchequer. Kalmadi was arrested in the case April 26, 2011.

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